Mission Statement
Better Basics empowers children across Alabama by equipping them with foundational academic skills and educational opportunities for lifelong success.
2024-25 School Year by the Numbers
690
volunteers
53,530
teaching sessions with children
199,230+
books given away
40,209
children served
Did You Know?
61%
of America’s low-income children grow up in homes without books
40%
of children walk into kindergarten one-to-three years behind.
67%
of Alabama students tested below grade level in math in 2025
Our Programs
Intervention
Better Basics provides on-site, small-group Reading and Mathematics Intervention programs using highly trained, certified teachers to support students performing below grade level, aligned with Alabama State Department of Education Academic Standards.
Enrichment
Our Enrichment programs bring teachers and trained volunteers on-site—both during and after school—to deliver targeted, small-group and one-on-one learning experiences that build academic confidence and broaden learning opportunities.
Book Distribution
Research shows that having books in the home is the strongest predictor of a child’s academic success. Our Book Distribution programs focus specifically on delivering free, high-interest books to children in schools, neighborhoods, and homes across Central Alabama.
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (DPIL) mails free, high-interest, age-appropriate books each month to children birth through five years old. As Alabama's largest Local Program Partner, Better Basics distributes more than 150,000 books per year in Jefferson and Walker Counties.
Ways to Get Involved
